Balancing Act
by theaspiringwriter23
Summary: When Rocket loses his tail, he enlists Mantis's help in building a new tail for himself


Well, it happened. Rocket didn't think it would but it did. He got his tail blown off. On the planet Venela, The Guardians were trying to stop a group of gun smugglers. Rocket had jumped on one of the smugglers and caught him by surprise but he grabbed one of the guns he was smuggling and shot Rocket's tail off, causing Rocket to lose balance and fall off of him.

Then, to make things worse, the smuggler ran off with the tail, meaning that he can't just get surgery to get it back on.

Rocket was laying on a stretcher, barely conscious. The Guardians were all circling around the stretcher, worried for their friend. Rocket slowly but surely opened his eyes.

"Hey...guys?", Rocket said, weakly.

"Yes, Rocket?", Peter asked.

"Did we get 'em?", Rocket asked.

Peter sighed.

"No, we didn't", Peter said.

"Ehh, what I always tell ya? Ya can't do anything without me", Rocket tried boasting, though he was still too weak to act as obnoxious as he usually would.

A Doctor walked in.

"Are you Subject 89P13?", the doctor asked.

Rocket groaned.

"The name is Rocket", Rocket demanded.

"Sorry, Rocket", The Doctor said, "We've looked at your chart and we have some bad news. Your tail was used to help you stand upright. The cybernetics in your system were connected to your tailbone to help you be able to stand up and walk on your hind legs. Without it, I'm afraid that you're no longer bipedal but have reverted back to your quadruped state".

Rocket couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Rocket, but I'm afraid you won't be able to walk like you used to"

Rocket couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would have to walk ON ALL FOURS?! LIKE AN ANIMAL?! He got up and jumped out of bed but fell down. He ended up landing on all four feet. He tried getting back up on two legs but he was having trouble staying on there. He plopped back down on his front paws to avoid landing on his chest.

"I'm going to have to walk like a flarking animal?!", Rocket was freaking out.

He started pacing back and forth on all fours. He was trying to think of something, ANYTHING, he could do to stop that from happening. Suddenly he stopped and thought of something.

"I know, when we get home, I'll build a cybernetic tail for myself. Then I'll be able to walk again", Rocket said.

"You mean, walk normally?", Peter asked.

"Whatever!", Rocket snapped.

As The Guardians walked out of the hospital, everyone stared as a raccoon was walking on all fours, like a regular raccoon, but also wearing clothes, not like a regular raccoon. To get to the exit, they had to turn left pass a wall. However, Rocket didn't just need a tail to walk on all two's, as it turned out. He found it hard to turn without the tail. Without the tail, he wasn't as agile as before and couldn't turn so quickly. He stopped and looked at Groot, who was currently a teenager. Suddenly, he climbed on Groot and went on top of his shoulder, which caught Groot by surprise.

"Hey, you liked it in your past life", Rocket demanded.

Teen Groot just groaned.

Rocket stayed on Groot's shoulder until they went back to the ship. However, he kept having to hold onto Groot's head to stop from falling off. Groot didn't particularly like him grabbing his face but he realized that he lost his sense of balance and needed something to hold onto, so he reluctantly let him touch his face.

When they got back to the ship, Groot put Rocket down and Rocket got on all fours. He looked at Groot.

"Hey Groot, help me build my tail!", Rocket ordered.

But Groot quickly lost interest and started playing with his video game. Rocket groaned. He turned to the other Guardians.

"Guys, anyone wanna help me?", Rocket asked.

"Umm...I'll help you", Mantis said.

Rocket was okay with Mantis, at least when she gave him belly rubs, but he wasn't sure he wanted to spend so much time with her.

"Anyone else?", Rocket asked.

"Sorry dude but I'm not sure I want to watch you destroy my ship. I mean, I realize you have a reason and all but it's my baby", Star Lord explained.

"Why don't you want me to help you?", Mantis asked.

"Uhh, I'm just not sure you'd be so good with tech stuff, sweetheart", Rocket explained.

"But you're good with that stuff. Maybe you could teach me!", Mantis pointed out.

Rocket sighed.

"Fine, you can help me", Rocket said, giving in.

Rocket and Mantis walked back to Rocket's room. At one point, they had to turn a corner and Rocket climbed on top of Mantis. She didn't particularly like the feel of Rocket's claws digging into her skin but she let it go quickly. Once they got into his room, Rocket climbed down and walked to the wall. He then turned around and pointed his head toward a box of weapons.

"Okay Mantis, see that box over there? In that box, there's a little, pen shaped laser. Use that laser to cut out some parts of the ship. Cut out 3 parts that would be long enough to make a tail", Rocket instructed.

Mantis went to his weapons box and searched for something that looked like a pen. When she found it, she looked at the wall. She turned on the pen and a long, red laser came out of it. With the laser, she cut three pieces of the wall that were just long enough to connect together to make the sides of a tail. She then gave them to Rocket.

He looked at her.

"Next, I'm going to need nails to put the tail together", Rocket instructed, "they should be in the tool section in the cupboard. Give them to me alongside a hammer"

Mantis gave Rocket a hammer and nails. As it would be difficult to build while being on his fours, Rocket laid down on his stomach. Then he started putting the three pieces together to shape a tail using the hammer and nails that Mantis gave him. After he was done, he got back up on his fours. He turned to her.

"Now that I've built it, I gotta make sure it'll work. Give me the pen", Rocket told her.

Mantis gave Rocket the pen and he cut out a hole to put batteries in. Then he used the metal he cut to make something big enough to put the batteries in. He looked at Mantis.

"Remember those batteries I stole from those golden snobs? While I used most of them to defeat Ego, I still kept some with me. They're in the same toolbox as the hammer and nails. Take one out and give it to me. It should be strong enough to power the tail", Rocket told her.

Mantis gave him an anulax battery and he put it in the tail. Then he closed the tail. He then paused and gulped. Mantis wondered why he was pausing.

"What's the matter?", Mantis asked sympathetically.

"It's just...I don't like people adding parts on me. But I guess I have no choice!", Rocket said, giving in.

"Because you used to be an experiment?", Mantis asked.

"No, because I had some surgery, of course it's because I was an experiment!", Rocket responded sarcastically.

Mantis just brushed that off.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I kinda know how you feel. I didn't have a nice childhood myself", Mantis said.

"What do you mean?", Rocket asked.

"Well, like those evil men, I grew up with someone who didn't care about me", Mantis said, "as Ego made me his slave. He never showed me any compassion, he just ordered me around and made me do everything for him. I never got a thank you or a please, he just treated me like I was some servant for him. But I didn't know any better until I met you guys and realized that the way he was treating me was not right"

Even Rocket couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Well, I'm sorry ya daddy was such a jerk", Rocket said, "Anyway, before you put it on me, could ya please do me one favor?"

"Yes?", Mantis said.

"Knock me out. Y'know that gun I used to tranquilize Gamora? Use that. I can't afford to be conscious during this, it'll just remind me of the old times", Rocket said.

"Sure, I'll do that", Mantis said.

"Thanks"

Rocket asked Mantis to take apart more spare parts to make a sort of shield for the tail he could put around his waist. Then Mantis tranquilized Rocket and built the tail and shield into his body. An hour later, he woke up.

"Well, let's see if this works", Rocket said.

Suddenly, Rocket got up. He wasn't quite as wobbly as before but it was still a little hard for him to be on his hind legs.

"How do you feel?", Mantis asked.

"Weird"

Rocket groaned. While he could balance on his hind legs okay now, he still needed a little help walking and he hated to admit that. He looked at Mantis.

"Mantis, could you maybe hold my hand?", Rocket asked.

Mantis smiled. "Sure"

She grabbed his hand and they walked out of his room.

"I feel like a toddler", Rocket whined.

They passed the other Guardians, who were looking at Rocket sympathetically.

"Wanna stare at the freak?", Rocket muttered, annoyed, "I guess you got some stupid quip, don't you, Star Douche?"

"Actually, man, I just wanted to know if you were alright", Peter said, sympathetically.

"Oh. Well, I'm fine, just getting used to my new tail", Rocket said.

"I see that", Peter said.

Rocket looked at Mantis.

"I don't think you'll need to hold my hand any longer"

She let go of Rocket's hand. Rocket walked but he kept limping a bit and also going back and forth.

"This is going to take some getting used to", Rocket said.

"Don't worry, man, we'll be there for you", Peter assured him.

"Star Dork?", Rocket asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks"

For the first couple of weeks, Rocket had to get used to his new tail. The other Guardians sometimes had to hold his hand or they just picked him up and held him. Rocket also had to practice walking on his own, like how a toddler practiced walking on their own. However, after the next couple of weeks, he learned to walk with his new tail and he was back to being the Rocket everyone knew and loved, if not always tolerated.

THE END


End file.
